MBSS Site Summary for: CR-P-376-104-96


Located on PINEY RUN UT1 in the S Branch Patapsco watershed, 8-digit code: 02130908.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/18/1996 and again in the summer on 6/26/1996.

Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) Results:

An Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) is a scientific tool used to identify and classify stream health. An IBI associates anthropogenic influences on a stream or with biological condition in the stream, and is formulated using data developed from biosurveys.
Details on the development and application of MBSS IBIs are in this document.
Fish IBI Fair - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 505 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 8.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 78.8 %
Forested Land Use 12.3 %


Stream showing woody debris, logs, and rocky substrate.
An example of woody debris in a stream.

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 18/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 18/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 17/20 (Optimal)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 20 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 16.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.71
Conductivity 321 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1283 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.3 mg/L

Biological Stream Condition:

Surveys of the organisms living within a stream can give indications of stream health. Species richness, or the number of different species present, as well as indicator species (species whose presence, absence or abundance can serve as a measure of environmental conditions) are informative for stream health. 		Close-up of a mayfly indicator species.

Fish Survey Results:
The following 7 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 82
Creek Chub 76
Rosyside Dace 48
Central Stoneroller 33
Longnose Dace 15
Green Sunfish 1
White Sucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Long-Tailed Salamander
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 88
Prosimulium Black Fly 12
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 7
Diamesa Bloodworm 5
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 4
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 4
Sublettea 1
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 1
Kick net sampling for macroinvertebrates.
Sampling with a kick net.

Information disclaimer: The information and data on this page is for guidance and general planning purposes only. It should not be used to make decisions on specific matters.